Legislation on transport of dangerous goods to be updated

The Act on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (the TDG Act) is being updated. The current Act entered into force in 1994. Renewal of the legislation is important, as important changes have taken place in the operating environment and conditions over the past 25 years.

Updates aim to improve legal provisions

The updates will improve traffic safety, create better conditions for business and have a positive impact on the state of the environment. The updated Act will also take into account developments in transport automation and digitalisation.

The objective is to achieve an Act that is clear and guarantees a high level of transport safety. A further objective is to ensure that the Act does not place an unnecessary administrative burden on companies.

The updates to the Act are being prepared at the Ministry of Transport and Communications in cooperation with several authorities and industry representatives. The ministry has established a steering group for the project. The group includes members from various administrative sectors, industry companies and interest groups.

Legislation on the transport of dangerous goods is technical and detailed in nature. The Act regulating the transport of such goods is a framework act, with more detailed provisions laid down in government decrees and regulations of the Finnish Transport Agency.

The legislation on the transport of dangerous goods is based primarily on the European Union legislation and international conventions. The most important of these are the conventions on specific means of transport prepared by organisations operating within the United Nations framework.

What next?

The first stage of the renewal work will be a broad assessment of the current situation at the legislative and practical levels. A draft assessment report has been circulated for comments. Comments can be submitted online at lausuntopalvelu.fi until 8 February 2019.

The goal is to send the draft bill out for comments at the end of 2019 and submit it to Parliament for processing in autumn 2020.

Inquiries:
Kimmo Kiiski, Senior Adviser, Road Transport, tel. +358 50 539 5346
Katja Viertävä, Senior Government Adviser, tel. +358 40 771 8522